Programmes and Clusters News

8 July 2020 | Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Africa records over 500 000 COVID-19 cases

COVID-19 infections in Africa today surpassed 500 000, and there is concern as a growing number of countries are experiencing a sharp rise in cases. So far, in less than five months, the virus has claimed 11 959 lives, overtaking the 11 308 lives lost in the world’s worst Ebola outbreak in West Africa between 2014 and 2016.

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25 June 2020 | Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Volunteering in Nigeria’s COVID-19 battle

Hauwa Ibrahim is unsure when she will see her family again. Two months ago, the 29-year-old nurse volunteered to work at a COVID-19 treatment centre in Nigeria’s capital Abuja. Worried she might put her family at risk of catching the virus, she opted to stay at the centre. Like her, many health workers lending a hand to the country’s battle against the pandemic have forgone time with family.

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24 June 2020 | Polio

Gender-responsive leadership is central to end polio

Dr Fiona Braka holds one of the highest-stake roles in the African regional polio programme – supporting the Government of Nigeria in their fight to defeat wild poliovirus. She is the first woman to hold her position in Nigeria, and before that was the first female polio team lead in Ethiopia.

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